


Be Careful What You Wish For

by samworth



Category: Hogan's Heroes
Genre: Alternate History, Gen, July 20 Plot, Operation Valkyrie, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-26 05:51:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20384725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samworth/pseuds/samworth
Summary: Hogan knew better than to indulge in various what-if scenarios but his dreams didn't give him this luxury, forcing him to entertain one important what-if. Written for the 75th anniversary of the July 20 Plot. Oneshot.





	Be Careful What You Wish For

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a late addition to another 75th anniversary - the July 20 Plot. Major Claus von Hofer is a character from my story ["Echoes of the Past"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17229707). It's not necessary to read it as the character only gets a passing mention. You only need to know that he had been part of the plot and Hogan had to hide him for several days in the tunnels before flying him to London.
> 
> Major Hans Teppel (aka Robert J. Morrison, Milwaukee) is a character from the show who had teamed up with Hogan in the episode 'Bad Day in Berlin'.
> 
> Special thanks to **96 Hubbles** for beta reading! Thank you very much! All remaining mistakes are my own.

* * *

**Be Careful What You Wish For**

* * *

It started at the front gate.

Then it spread through the camp like a wildfire.

It started as a rumor, brought from town by Corporal Muller.

Out-of-breath and soaked with sweat, the corporal breathed heavily after having run all the way from Hammelburg back to camp. But the usually mild-mannered and relaxed young man was near panic and his comrades encircled him, inquiring about the reason for his distress.

Hogan watched from his place near barracks two. Glancing down at his watch while he crossed his arms, he noted that it was July 20. Nothing important enough had happened at the Western Front since D-Day, nor had the Underground planned anything big enough to leave such a reaction. He frowned.

Newkirk, the nearest to the gate, was already moving unobtrusively over there, trying to pick up enough information for them. Carter and LeBeau were preparing a chess game with real men, arguing loudly who would become a pawn and who would be the king. Their bickering had captured Schultz' full attention while he sat on the bench outside the barracks, his rifle leaning against the wall next to him. The chess game with humans as the pieces was part of Hogan's newest scheme, the arguing not so much. But before he could intervene, the atmosphere at the front gate shifted again - from curiosity to outrage.

As the shouting started, Newkirk beat a hasty retreat. A few guards started to turn away, and Hogan could see the utter shock on their faces. Only one smiled gleefully, as if he had just received the best news.

Avoiding in bringing unwanted attention to himself, Newkirk took his time to amble over, pretending to ignore the German uproar, straining Hogan's patience. The relaxed mid-morning mood started to crumble as more and more soldiers joined the group at the front gate while other started to walk away, spreading the news to the rest of the camp. Hogan needed to know what was going on as fast as possible.

The tumult at the front gate finally broke through Schultz' focus on Carter and LeBeau, and he rose hesitantly to his feet, grabbing his rifle. Frowning, he looked from Hogan to the front gate and back. He seemed as confused as the team about the unexpected development. The German sergeant played with the strap of his rifle, apparently unsure whether he wanted to see something or if he should better not see something. Slowly, he started to move towards the gate.

"What is going on?" Carter asked, abandoning the chess game and ambling over to Hogan. LeBeau followed a step behind him, their argument apparently forgotten.

The words, now repeated from tower to tower, spread across the compound, never failing to elicit a powerful reaction from its recipient.

Hogan's finger twitched, wishing that Newkirk would hurry, as his uninformed status was starting to hinder his ability to react to the changes.

LeBeau crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the scene in front of him.

"Well?" Hogan asked and raised an eyebrow as a silent prompt to hurry as Newkirk was near enough.

Shrugging, Newkirk dug his hands into his pockets. "They went bonkers. All of them. I couldn't get near enough to understand them correctly."

Hogan paused and processed the information Newkirk had provided. Finally, it clicked what bothered him. "What did you understand?"

"I thought they said that there's a _putsch_," Newkirk said, grimacing. "But that can't be. At least not in Germany."

"What is a _putsch_?" LeBeau asked.

It was Langenscheidt rounding the corner and almost running into Schultz, who accidentally answered him. "Sergeant Schultz! We need you at the front gate. Corporal Muller says that a few officers are trying to overthrow the government in Berlin. It's a _putsch_."

Schultz stared at Langenscheidt, uncomprehending. His lips formed an O but he made no sound. Finally, the news penetrated Schultz' thick armor of knowing nothing. Trembling and pale, Schultz hurried over to the group at the front gate, leaving Hogan and his men behind as speechless as Schultz. The colonel wouldn't go as far as saying that he was shocked, but he was surprised. And he didn't like surprises he hadn't arranged himself.

"Did we know about any plans?" he asked and received only negative responses.

Carter drifted nearer to Langenscheidt, who had been stopped by another guard, trying to find out some more details.

Newkirk sighed. "We'd better get Kinch on the radio." He turned and almost collided with Kinch. "Blimey!" Cursing, Newkirk stepped back and glared.

Kinch smirked. "I'm already here."

"I can see that!" Newkirk groused before remembering who he was talking to. But before he could apologize, Carter finally put together enough scraps of conversation to understand the meaning and the source of the uproar. "He's dead!"

Hogan's mind went blank. It shouldn't happen, but a for a fleeting moment every rational thought left his mind and only grim satisfaction and a small flicker of hope flooded through his blood.

"Who?" LeBeau asked.

"Hitler!" Kinch answered and held out a paper for Hogan. "That's the newest rumors. Underground claims that a bomb killed him."

"Traitors!" The shout came from the original group of soldiers huddled in front of the gate. "That's traitorous talk. You cannot -" The rest of his words were drowned out by the shouts of the surrounding men as they started to shove each other.

Hogan blinked and snapped back to the present. Accepting the paper from Kinch, he signaled his hut chiefs to call back their men. It was an unnecessary order as all the prisoners had already started to move back to the safety the barracks offered in case the inter-German battle heated up.

Then he glanced down on the blue paper. "Hitler dead. Military coup. New government."

The tattle-tale sound of guns loading reached his ears. Startled, he looked up, the piece of paper forgotten in his hand.

"Enough!" Schultz shouted and finally the noise stopped. Eerie quiet swept like a wave from the front gate through the camp. Schultz' words had left two groups of soldiers standing opposite of each other. Nobody had raised his gun yet, but at least two of the guards had them in their hands, ready.

Hogan swallowed hard. "London?" he asked while he scanned the area. Only the Germans were still out in the open. Hogan and his men were the last of the prisoners to openly watch the happenings.

"Nothing yet," Kinch whispered, his gaze glued to the same scene as Hogan's.

"What happens now? I mean, if he's really dead?" Carter asked, voicing the one thing Hogan wanted to know himself.

"We'll see," Newkirk muttered and lit a cigarette.

Finally, Klink made an appearance. He marched to the front gate and said something. It was too soft for Hogan to hear and for once he didn't dare to wander over to intrude himself into German affairs.

The door behind them opened and Baker hurried out. Gazing mindfully at the German guards, he slowed down. Danger was palpable in the air. It was as if everybody held their breath, waiting for the dice that had fallen to stop rolling.

"It's true and it's really happening," Baker said without preamble. "There is fighting in Berlin. Our guy Morrison," he shook his head. "Major Teppel," he started again only to break off once more. "I have no idea how to refer to the German Army Intelligence officer in Berlin who's actually a deep cover spy for us," Baker rushed the words out. "Anyway, Teppel confirmed that there is a coup underway. He asks for a little time to sort out what's happening. We're supposed to tell London."

Hogan vividly remembered Major Teppel. The man's scare tactics had left him successfully shaking even while knowing that Teppel was on their side. It was his ruthlessness. A ruthlessness needed in the Major's line of work - living and spying in the heart of the evil. Hogan hadn't envied the man then. He was more a prisoner with less margin for error than them. And now Teppel was supposed to find out what happened without getting killed? No, Hogan sure didn't envy him for this job.

Klink's words had the desired effect on his men. The group at the gate dissolved and all the guards returned to their posts.

"What now?" Newkirk asked, lighting up his second smoke. Without thinking, Hogan held out a hand, asking for and receiving a cigarette. He would have preferred a cigar, but for now a cigarette had to be enough. But not even the nicotine could calm down his nerves. At least, it covered for his lack of answer.

* * *

"Not now, Hogan!"

Klink's greeting could have been worse. In fact, how he had even known that it was Hogan who had entered his office was suspicious as the German colonel was busy at his radio trying to find the right station.

"Is it true?" Hogan asked, trusting that Klink was, for once, with good reason to be out of his depth.

For a moment, Klink neither answered nor turned around, just silently working the radio dial. Neither commented that his fingers trembled. "I don't know," Klink finally answered.

Hogan had always accepted that the Germans, except the Underground, were the enemy, and that he had to be careful around them. He had never bothered trying to find out who would follow Hitler to death and who longed for his death. Now he wished he had at least more than a passing inkling of what Klink was thinking. His survival and that of his men might depend on it.

"It's unthinkable," Klink murmured. "It's simply unthinkable."

The 'therefore it couldn't have happened' hung in the air between the two officers. Before any other words were spoken, the radio crackled to life and a new voice, a voice Hogan had never heard before, spoke excitedly.

Klink jumped back as if the radio had burned him. Hogan understood German well but at the end of the day it was still his second language - and bad radio reception and fast and excited speaking had lost him for a few precious moments. But Hogan didn't need to understand the words to see Klink's reaction. Hitler was dead. Klink's face had all but confirmed it.

Then the voice announced that the new German Chancellor, Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, would address the nation now.

_"Germans! _

_"You know as of today what is at stake, what our motivations and intentions are. The right to the most extreme self-defense and the duty of self-preservation show the way for us and for you. We have been granted not the promised state under firm and wise leadership, but a horrific tyranny. Our soldiers' bravery, courage in the face of death, and skill have been shamefully abused, our homeland has been unscrupulously exposed to misery and destruction."_

Hogan listened. He wasn't the intended audience, but he knew that he and his men would be affected by this new voice.

The man, Goerdeler, apparently a civilian, went on about lawlessness that had to stop. Never would Hogan have expected to hear a German saying, on German radio, that Adolf Hitler and Hermann Goering had committed crimes. He grinned as the new chancellor called them scoundrels.

And so Goerdeler went on and on: the war would continue, but they would seek peace with other nations.

The longer the man spoke the taller Klink stood. From a trembling shell, bordering on panicking, a soldier had emerged. He stood at parade rest, a small smile on his lips.

_"And so we also call for active self-reflection and for assurance and a willingness to sacrifice. Do not hate; help! Accomplish the greatest feat: find the soul of our nation again. In doing so, gain the strength to achieve more and to help our brave soldiers on land, at sea, and in the air even more effectively. Let us unite with them with a clear conscience that no more German men's blood shall be sacrificed for the thirst for glory of incapable leaders, but only for the defense of our vital interests._

_"With God for justice, freedom, and securing peaceful work."_

Suddenly, the station started to play music and as Hogan glanced towards Klink he saw him nodding along. He didn't recognize the piece, but it held some importance to Germany and to Klink.

As Hogan turned around, he found Schultz and Langenscheidt standing beside the door. Schultz stared at him teary-eyed, while Langenscheidt didn't seem to grasp the enormity of the radio speech.

They let Hogan leave without acknowledgment, transfixed by the radio and its music.

* * *

"Hitler's dead!"

Hogan's announcement dropped like a bomb in the tense silence of barracks two. Then like a clap of thunder following the flash, he was engulfed by numerous loud and cheering voices. LeBeau was without a doubt the loudest.

Trying to use his hand to signal for silence, he finally had to settle for a loud "Fellows!" to get their attention. "It's true. He's really dead. German radio just confirmed it." He started to smile. "That calls for some celebration!"

"Right!" LeBeau dashed to one of his hidden compartments and pulled out a bottle of champagne, lifted by Newkirk from Klink's quarters.

He unscrewed the cork and with a loud pop opened the bottle. They had a lot of unnecessary items in their barracks - the right glasses for champagne weren't one of them but it didn't matter. They used their everyday cups. It was only fitting to celebrate with cheap cups. One bottle could be shared by twenty and more men if you just put your heart into it.

Some men started to sing, clang their cups together and hug each other.

"Can we go home now?" Carter asked with bright eyes as it was his turn to get his cup refilled.

Hogan blinked. "Not yet," he answered and with that the joyful mood plummeted. "But maybe soon. The new government said it wants to end the war and start negotiation for peace."

"The new government," Kinch repeated. "Who would have thought that something like this could happen?"

"Nobody!" Newkirk said and threw an arm around Kinch's shoulders. "And that's why we are celebrating!"

The mood relaxed again, and the noise swelled back to its prior level. The order to keep it down was on the tip of his tongue, but he kept it in. It was no use. Besides, how often would they get the chance to be witnesses to such a turn of events? It was a day for the history books. It should be celebrated.

LeBeau and Newkirk opened the tunnel bed and screamed their happy news down, hoping to spread it to the other barracks through the tunnels. Then they hugged and grinned at each other with ridiculously sly grins as if they personally had killed him.

It couldn't be the alcohol; they'd barely had any in the tiny sip of champagne. But apparently happiness could also be pretty intoxicating and contagious.

* * *

"Colonel Hogan," Klink addressed him, with more formality and less hostility than usual. "Have a seat."

Hogan sat down. Yesterday at the same time, Hogan had plotted a way to destroy the next bridge and today everything was different. Even Klink's office seemed brighter, less dark. He looked around, trying to spot what had changed.

"Do you know what this is?" Klink asked, holding up a tiny microphone.

Following the cables, Hogan suddenly knew what had changed. He flashed a bright smile. "Gestapo. Only they would dare to use a photo of the Führer to hide their listening devices."

"Hogan!" Klink said, aiming for a stern voice.

"You were a threat to them. They were always jealous about proper German heritage after all. You come from the same social class as the new German government. They probably had always feared something like that."

Klink nodded with a smile and Hogan relaxed. As long as he still had an angle to manipulate Klink, he had options.

"The new government," Klink repeated and his voice changed. He almost sounded dreamy. "They are going to release their declaration today. You're welcome to listen."

"The war is over?" Hogan opened the cigar box and grabbed one.

"Not yet," Klink answered wistfully. "But soon. They said as much."

* * *

By the time the radio broadcast was ready to begin transmitting the declaration of the new government, the whole camp had assembled outside. Without prompting, they all had fallen into their usual spots at roll call.

Hogan eyed the German soldiers. Some appeared to be fearful, others gleeful and Hogan could see more than one in tears. The younger the guard, the harder they had taken that their invincible Führer had been killed.

Klink had ordered the use of the loudspeaker and therefore the whole camp could listen.

_"Since the government of the Reich has been transferred to us, it is our duty to announce the principles by which we will run the government, and the aims for which we strive."_

Hogan took a deep breath. He couldn't imagine what this speech meant for Schultz and Klink. For him, it was just another transmission from the enemy that he had to listen to, analyzing what it meant for him and his men.

_"The law will be imposed on every person who has violated it. All lawbreakers will be given the punishment they deserve."_

He glanced around, trying to spot who he would bring up to charges. A lot of things he had to let slide as he couldn't make a real enemy out of the guards, but he knew about the stolen Red Cross packages, about the black market in town, the extortion and force some guards used to get their way.

_"The concentration camps will be closed down, the innocent released, and the guilty will be tried before an orderly court."_

He knew the rumors, he had heard them from the Underground, had seen it in the faces of the few civilians they had smuggled out of Germany and read it in the papers they had stolen. For Hogan, it was a fact, but every week, he met people, Germans and Allies alike, who thought or hoped it was just a rumor. Hearing the new government speaking about it, however, Hogan knew that they intended to do more than just stop it, but also to lift the veil of silence, converting a rumor to a fact.

Hogan watched the Germans as the man on the radio talked about the crimes that Germany had committed. As expected, he saw shame and horror, and even some surprise on the faces of the few that had managed to successfully lie to themselves. But worryingly, he also detected resentment, defiance and smug smiles on proud faces.

The words blurred together as he watched the guards, falling neatly into two categories.

Finally, the new president, Ludwig Beck, finished his address.

_"Let us walk once again the path of justice, of decency, and of mutual respect!"_

Hogan glanced to Schultz and Klink. One day, he would be asked to rate their decency, and it was on days like this he collected facts.

_"- fulfillment of duty become a bitter moral dilemma! How much wonderful human happiness has been destroyed all over the world!_

_"May God grant us insight and strength to lend this terrible sacrifice a purpose for the benefit of future generations!"_

Klink gazed dreamily across the fence, seemingly unaware about the thunderstorm that brewed inside his camp. He never glanced to the dark, murderous faces of the soldiers loyal to the Third Reich, never recognized that the evil had already taken hold of his camp, no matter how obvious the danger in front of him was. His soul had been too lulled by the speech.

The transmission stopped and an unholy silence descended on the camp.

"And when do they want to have an election?" Carter asked. "I didn't hear them saying anything about it at all."

"They didn't," Hogan confirmed. "So, they don't have any plans to have an election."

"So, no democracy?" Carter asked. "Nothing changed?"

"We have a bloody war," Newkirk grouched. "We didn't even have an election. Winnie stays until the end, only then there's an election again. Maybe."

"Newkirk's right. After all, there is a war going on," Hogan said, finishing the discussion and herding his men back into the barracks. As he watched the German crowd disbanding, mixed between pleased and angry, scared and furious, Hogan realized that in Germany there was even more than one war going on.

* * *

Despite it being July, most prisoners had opted to stay inside the barracks. Hogan couldn't blame them. The news changed by minute and the atmosphere was charged. He was busy enough trying to break up and intervene in every conflict that did arise. Every fight that was prevented, was a win in his book.

A loud knock on his door interrupted his short rest. "Come in."

Kinch opened the door. "Orders from London," he said and held out a piece of paper. "Cease all activities immediately. Including helping the Underground and downed fliers."

Frowning, Hogan climbed to his feet and accepted the papers. "Why?"

Kinch sighed. "It's bad. The Russian Front is crumbling. Several German divisions have declared war on the new government, branding them traitors. Loyal Nazis and the new guys are still fighting in Berlin. Munich and other cities have declared that they won't accept the new government and -"

"They're headed for a civil war."

Kinch nodded. "Currently, nobody knows who is going to win the struggle for power. But we need to be careful," he said and then added, "as prisoners of war and not as spies."

"All right, spread the news - nobody leaves the camp for any reason at all. We're not getting between them."

"It gets worse," Kinch said. "We are also to stop aiding any Soviet - not that there are many but nevertheless."

Now Hogan did read the orders from London. The message was exceptionally blunt. The alliance with the Soviet Union was failing; Stalin had used the inter-German fighting to advance and hadn't slowed down as demanded by the Western Allies. Now the Allies were readying themselves to also fight the Soviet Union, needing to stop the Soviet troops before they reached Berlin or worse, the Rhine.

Dejected, Hogan lowered the paper. "Hitler is dead. How can this be worse?"

* * *

It didn't even take a full day for Hogan to learn that it could get even worse. He was just getting ready to eat something, when Carter rushed in. "Hochstetter is here," he reported. "And he's arguing with Colonel Klink."

Hogan closed his eyes, wishing to wake up, hoping that this was just a nightmare. He counted to ten, then he rose. "All right, let's see what it's now."

As he left the barracks, he was greeted by shouting. The SS-major raved in front of Klink's office. While the image itself wasn't that unusual, the fervor with which he carried himself and the fury on his face was new.

Hochstetter glared at Klink with bloodshot eyes. Hogan assumed too many suppressed tears and too much alcohol were responsible for the disheveled state of the major. The major's voice dropped to barely a growling whisper. "Are you refusing an order, Colonel Klink?"

Hogan winced. The way Hochstetter used his voice had to hurt, but he couldn't see anything on his face.

Klink raised himself to full height, squared his shoulder and pushed his chin forward. It was a childish way to demonstrate superiority. But in a fight between these two, it wasn't a surprise. "The reign of your terror is over. It is again my duty to follow the law and not your orders."

"What happened?" Hogan asked as he rushed over to LeBeau. Carter and Newkirk hot on his heels.

"Hochstetter demanded troops from Klink to clean up Hammelburg, whatever he meant by this," LeBeau reported. "Klink refused."

"That won't end well," Newkirk commented, crossing his arms. It was an understatement. This time Hogan would have preferred one of Newkirk's sarcastic remarks, because this was nothing but the truth. The civil war had reached their camp and the duty fell to him to intervene before he and his men were used as leverage or canon fodder.

"Are you also one of the traitors!" Hochstetter demanded. The two guards he had brought stepped up beside him. Across the compound, a few of Klink's guards, the ones who had shown where their heart was, readied themselves to come to Hochstetter's aid.

"No, I am a loyal German!" Klink countered. He looked around, assuring himself that he was surrounded by his men, armed with duty and weapons. "And I hereby arrest you for your crimes against the civilians in Hammelburg."

Hogan's step faltered. There was no mediating now. Hochstetter and Klink had drawn the line and readied their soldiers.

Hochstetter sputtered: "You cannot arrest me. You don't have -" He broke off. Then he simply returned the sentiment. "You will be shot for being a traitor to the glorious Third Reich."

"Schultz!" Klink ordered. "Take this man to the cooler."

"Sergeant," Hochstetter countered, "it is your duty as a German soldier to shoot this traitorous colonel right now!" Hochstetter pulled out his gun. "Or I will shoot first him and then you."

Schultz stared white-eyed from Klink to Hochstetter and back. Then he turned to Hogan.

"Colonel Hogan!"

The image of Hochstetter and Klink facing each other froze and blurred. Suddenly, Hogan's world tilted.

* * *

"Colonel Hogan!" Schultz' voice echoed in his small office.

Hogan jerked awake with his heart beating fast. He choked trying to draw in a breath. "What!" Stumbling out of his bed, his eyes roamed around the room, trying to find an anchor to reality while he pressed his fingers against the bed frame. His bed. Glancing around, he recognized his office. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he calmed down.

"Colonel Hogan!" Schultz repeated with less volume. "Roll call." Schultz eyed him carefully. "Did you have a bad dream?"

The colonel straightened. "Schultzie, why did you wake me? I was just about to get to know her really-" He paused for dramatic effect. "Well. You know." He forced his lips to show a smirk. His heart was still hammering away in his chest.

Schultz eyed him, and Hogan knew that he could see right through him but wouldn't call him out on it. "You would not wake. I was worried."

"I'm fine, Schultzie. Thank you. I'll be out in a minute," Hogan said and turned away. Leaning against the bed, he waited. It was a dismissal and Schultz took it as such, softly closing the door behind him.

The moment he was alone, Hogan grabbed a calendar and stared at the date. It was November and not July. "It was only a dream," he whispered. "Only a dream."

In truth, Hitler himself had addressed the Germans with a radio speech on July 20, proving beyond a doubt that he had survived the coup, rallying the people behind him. Hogan still remembered the words and the nausea he had felt that fateful day.

* * *

"Everything all right?" Kinch asked as Hogan moved around him to his place at roll call. While he looked outwardly bored, Hogan knew him well enough to recognize the worry in his eyes. "Schultz sent us out, or we would have tried to wake you."

Hogan didn't know how he looked, but he could still feel the terror lurking beneath his skin and on the edge of his consciousness. "Just a dream."

"Was she a blonde or brunette?" Newkirk asked, glancing over towards him out of the corner of his eyes.

"Or did you dream about the woman of my life? Did Marya visit you in your dreams?" LeBeau asked.

Hogan had to grin. His men offered him a way out and while he could confess that Marya did give him nightmares, they had never been as bad as his real dream. "No, I dreamed about something our guest had said."

"Major von Hofer?" Carter asked.

"Shh," the others hushed him in unison. It was a name that should not be used in front of or near any German.

"Sorry!" Carter shrugged. "I didn't-"

"He told me," Hogan explained before an argument could break out (or worse, before they started to blame von Hofer for something that wasn't his fault), "what they had planned to do if they had been successful. He could recite the announcement and declarations from memory. His job had been -" Hogan broke off. It didn't matter what von Hofer would have done. The plot had failed.

"Shouldn't a dream about a successful coup be a happy one?" Newkirk asked. "It didn't sound happy. At all."

Schultz went along the rows of prisoners and counted out loud. For once, nobody bothered trying to confuse him. The air was damp and cold. It was dreary weather in a dreary camp, and they all wanted to get over with roll call.

Hogan shook his head. "I realized that if you allow poison to be spread, then even removing the source may not be enough to allow healing. You cannot allow poison to be spread and then hope that everything is all right again if you just kill the leader. You can cut off the head of a snake, but you still have to deal with its body and its offspring." He paused, suddenly unsure about facts and fiction. "We're still in France, right? D-Day did happen?"

"Steadily fighting and advancing." Kinch's calm and sure voice immediately soothed his frayed nerves.

"Good." Hogan pulled up his collar and huddled into his warm jacket. But he could not feel any warmth. "The people behind the attempted assassination had good ideas," he murmured, thinking about the concentration camps they had wanted to close immediately. How many had died in there since July? How many would have been saved?

"Maybe it was not meant to be," Carter said.

"Maybe," Hogan conceded. But in truth, he suspected more that it would have never worked, whether the bomb had succeeded or not - they had acted too late - the poison had already spread too far.

"Report!" Klink hurried out of his warm office long enough to scream one of his favorite words. His mood was as sour as the weather.

"All prisoners present and accounted for!" Schultz reported.

"Dismissed!" Klink swirled around and marched back.

The prisoners hurried back into the barracks and the guards found the nearest wind-protected building to huddle behind.

Kinch lingered outside, waiting for Hogan. "Do you still wish they would have succeeded?"

Hogan thought about it. It had only been a dream, in full color and vivid, but still only a dream. Maybe it would have been different. Maybe Stalin would have reacted differently, maybe - there were a lot of maybes. He balled his fists and raised his head. "Yes. I may have realized the consequence could have been terrible but at least it was the right thing to do. And as such I wish it had succeeded."

Kinch nodded. "Me too."

The colonel pressed his lips together. Then he entered the barracks. Kinch followed and closed the door.

"Sir?" Carter asked. "If killing Hitler wouldn't have been enough in defeating the Nazis, what would have been enough?"

"Blimey, Carter! Even you should understand that - it's not the big picture we're fighting, but the little one. It's not enough to kill a general, you also have to defeat enough of his officers and men."

"Would that really have been enough?" Kinch asked. "vIt's not a man or party alone, but an idea and ideal."

"_Bien sûr_," LeBeau said, "it's the way a war is won. It always has been enough."

Hogan pulled off his cap. "Maybe, we need to be even more detail-oriented to success in defeating the evil and not just winning a military conflict." He sighed.

"Well, governor, I don't think you can get more detailed than eliminating your enemy one by one." Newkirk pulled out his set of cards and sat down.

"Actually, Newkirk," Hogan replied, "there is – we need to defeat the evil in ourselves because there it all begins."

* * *

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

> _ The italic paragraphs were taken from the radio address the plotters had planned in preparation. It had been sized by the Gestapo. The full prepared address and the prepared government declaration (translated in English) can be found here: _
> 
> _www dot gdw-berlin dot de/en/recess/topics/10-aims-of-the-attempted-coup/_


End file.
